Omid Djalili | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/omid-djalili
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Michelle Obama: here's how to handle the hecklershttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/jun/06/michelle-obama-heckler-putdowns
When the first lady's fundraiser speech was interrupted, her response made headlines. Here are some punchy putdowns she might want to learn for next time<p>&quot;One of the things I don't do well is this,&quot; glowered Michelle Obama as she was challenged by a heckler this week. Delivering a speech at a Democratic Party fundraiser, Obama called it like she saw it: &quot;Listen to me or you can take the mic, but I'm leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.&quot; Not everyone has the luxury toleave the stage, of course, though plenty of great comedians wish they probably could. As for any future heckling scenarios, she might want to practise her putdowns with these tips.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/jun/06/michelle-obama-heckler-putdowns">Continue reading...</a>ComedyComedyMichelle ObamaDemocratsUS politicsWorld newsStageJimmy CarrCultureIan HislopPiers MorganMediaThu, 06 Jun 2013 12:06:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/jun/06/michelle-obama-heckler-putdownsMark Wilson/Getty ImagesMichelle Obama. Her comments to Ellen Sturtz, a gay rights activist, were met with a round of applause. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesLeo Benedictus2013-06-06T12:06:00ZIran must free the Bahá'í leaders who have been jailed for five years too many | Omid Djalilihttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/14/iran-free-bahai-leaders-jailed
A global campaign is under way to remind Iran that it has legal and moral obligations to treat its religious minorities with justice<p>Today is the fifth anniversary of the unjust imprisonment of seven Bah&aacute;'&iacute; leaders in Iran. They were jailed for 20 years for no reason other than their beliefs – the longest jail terms handed down against any prisoners of conscience in the country – and today I'm sending a message to Iran: even five years are too many.</p><p>A global campaign is under way to remind Iran that it has legal and moral obligations to treat its religious minorities with justice – the <a href="http://www.bic.org/fiveyears/" title="">Five Years Too Many</a> campaign. But for decades Iran has walked all over the human rights of its citizens. The persecution of religious minorities is at the heart of this violence.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/14/iran-free-bahai-leaders-jailed">Continue reading...</a>IranMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsHuman rightsLawReligionTue, 14 May 2013 09:30:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/14/iran-free-bahai-leaders-jailedMonib SabetThe seven Bahá’í prisoners before their arrest. Back row, left to right: Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi and Mahvash Sabet. Seated: Behrouz Tavakkoli and Saeid Rezaie.Monib SabetThe seven Bahá’í prisoners before their arrest. Back row, left to right: Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi and Mahvash Sabet. Seated: Behrouz Tavakkoli and Saeid Rezaie.Omid Djalili2013-05-14T09:30:01ZMy first year at universityhttp://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/aug/17/omid-djalili-ulster-university
Comedian Omid Djalili on his first year at the University of Ulster<p>The University of Ulster wasn't my first choice, but when I failed all my A-levels I lied in Clearing, putting BCDE instead of the CEEE I'd actually got. I desperately wanted to go to university.</p><p>At home in London I had lived in a house so full of people that I craved privacy, so once I got to Ireland I didn't go to freshers' week or to any lectures. Instead, I lived in a cottage by myself. For the first term, I watched Just Good Friends, learned to build a fire and went for long walks along the Antrim coast. I became known as the Aimless Arab of Antrim. Inevitably, I was almost thrown out. But it was a magical time.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/aug/17/omid-djalili-ulster-university">Continue reading...</a>EducationStudentsHigher educationUniversity of UlsterCultureComedyComedyWed, 17 Aug 2011 17:45:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/aug/17/omid-djalili-ulster-universityDavid Corio/Getty ImagesOmid Djalili, known at university as the 'Aimless Arab of Antrim'. Photograph: David Corio/Getty ImagesDavid Corio/Getty ImagesOmid Djalili, known at university as the 'Aimless Arab of Antrim'. Photograph: David Corio/Getty ImagesMira Katbamna2011-08-17T17:45:00ZIt's hard to make light of the plight of my people, the Bahá'ís | Omid Djalilihttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/jul/10/bahai-iran-repression
The Bahá'í community has faced repression for years in an Iran that seeks to control private thought and beliefs<p>Back in the mid-90s in my show <a href="http://www.omidnoagenda.com/" title="Omid Djalili's site">I'm A Short Fat Kebab Shop Owner's Son</a>, I touched on cultural clashes that shaped my personality as an Iranian immigrant in Britain. Authenticity is paramount for a comedian, and as I prepare to tour a new standup show I'm getting braver: this time, I will be exploring what it is like to be an Iranian born into a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/bahai/" title="BBC Religions: Bah">Bah&aacute;'&iacute;</a> family.</p><p>The plight of the Bah&aacute;'&iacute; community in Iran has served as a backdrop to my life growing up in London, particularly since the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/7856172.stm" title="BBC: Slideshow: Iranian revolution 1979 ">Islamic revolution in 1979</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/jul/10/bahai-iran-repression">Continue reading...</a>IranMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsSun, 10 Jul 2011 15:30:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/jul/10/bahai-iran-repressionAna Carolina Fernandes/AFP/GettyA Copacabana beach protest supporting the members of the Baha'i religion sentenced to 20 years' jail in Iran. Photograph: Ana Carolina Fernandes/AFP/GettyAna Carolina Fernandes/AFP/GettyA Copacabana beach protest supporting the members of the Baha'i religion sentenced to 20 years' jail in Iran. Photograph: Ana Carolina Fernandes/AFP/GettyOmid Djalili2011-07-10T15:30:01Z